Improvement in spittoons for railroad cars



HENRY STANLEY.

Improvement in Sptto'ons f'or Railroad-Cars. 510.127,993. Patented June18,1872`.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY STANLEY, OF ST. JOHNSBURY, VERMONT.

IMPROVEMENT IN SPITT'OONS FOR RAILROAD CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 127,993, dated June 18, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY STANLEY, of

St. J ohnsbury, in the county of Caledonia, in

refer to like parts, and in which- Figure l represents a perspective view; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the spittoon through the center; Fig. 3, diagram illustrating the use of the wind-curtains. Scale of drawing, Figs. l and 2, is half an inch to one foot.

rlhe nature of this invention consists in providing a passage through the bottom of the door of a railway ca'r or similar place for the disposal of saliva, Sto., which is temporarily closed, when not in use, by a trap-door or plate, which is turned or elevated by the pressure of the foot. One of these may be placed in the floor of every pew or seat. I accomplish this by piercing a circular hole- (as in similar spittoons of this nature) through the floor, or, if there is a second iloor below, as is the case in some railway cars., through that also, immediately under the upper opening, and inclosing the passage between these openings with sides; or, if -there is no door beneath the irst, then a box composed of the pieces B t' t' t' t', as shown in the drawing-t' i i t being the four side pieces and B representing the second door, and having the opening j-is substituted. In the upper circular, opening is set a ring or hoop, o, having a flange, O, which lies in a recess so as to be iiush with the floor. The hoop or ring e is provided with a recess at the junction of the flange with the hoop or ring deep enough and sufficiently wide to receive the edge of one side or limb of the cover or plate which lies within the opening of the hole. This plate is about five inches in diameter, and is mounted on a horizontal axis, consisting of a pin at either side of the plate, with a bearing in proper sockets in either side of the passage; but said mounting-pins are not placed in the line ofthe diameter, but much nearer to one side of the plate, so that the foot of a passenger stepping upon it would not open it, but only when the foot is placed upon the smallest limb g.

A represents the door of the car or other place; B, the surface ofthe underlining of the car, or of the inclosed passage or box formed by the four sides t' t' t' i, having also an opening, j, across which the rods f f are secured; C, the inserted ring or hoop and flange, with the recess d for the plate D running around that portion of the opening between the bearings of the plate which is the largest, the smaller arc of the opening having no ledge or recess; D, the cover or plate 5 b b, its pivot-pins 5 a a, their sockets; g, the smaller limb of the plate, made thicker and heavier to counterbalance the larger limb and conserve its temporary elevation, as shown in drawing, Fig. l. Hanging curtains h h, made of cloth, rubber, or other iiexible material, are fastened to the under side of the floor on either side ofthe lower opening j and at right angles to the length of the car, and large enough to cover the opening'.v

Two or more horizontal rods, ff, run across the said opening j. An extension ofthe hoop e downward as far as the aperture j will answer the same purpose as the box t' i z' t B, the rods ff being then fixed across the said hoop at the bottom in connection with the curtains h h.

The operation of this device is as follows: When not in use the plate or trap D is iiush with the floor A. To open the same the toe of the boot is pressed upon the smaller limb of the plate D, and this movement elevates the larger limb and exposes the spittoon, the larger limb remaining thrown back in an inclined position until closed. When the plate D is opened, the train and car 'bein g in motion, that curtain h which happens to be the rst in the direction of the motion ofthe car is immediately pressed upward against the lower opening j by the wind, the wires or rods f f preventing undue entrance of the cloth. Thus incoming wind, dust, Svc., are efi'ectually excluded.

The flange and hoop C is divided at its heel in order to be sprung to admit the pins of the plate D into their sockets.

What I claim as my invention isp In a bottomless spittoon, the combination of the hanged hoop C e, its recess d, and pas- 2 lemons ssl-ge 7' with the trap or cover D and its weight- In testimony that 4claim the foregoing spitefl limb g, pivoted eeoentrieally in said anged toon I have hereunto set my hand. this 22d hoop, the bottomless box B 11 i i i or equivztcla-y of November, 1871.

lent downward. extension of the hoop e, the HENRY STANLEY. rod or rods ff, and the Wind curtains or aps Witnesses: h h, all arranged in connection with the floor JAMES M. MORSE,

of a car, substantially as described. H. WELLS. 

